U.S. Withdrawal Revives Hardliners in Iran

Following the announcement of Donald Trump that Washington will withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iranian President Rouhani said Tehran will remain in the JCPOA if the other signatories remain.

President Rouhani said: “We will wait several weeks before acting on this decision. We will be consulting with friends, our allies and members who have signed on to the agreement.”

“Everything depends on our national interests. If our nation’s interests are attained in the end, we will continue the process.”

Mr. Rouhani, however, warned that a failure of Tehran and the signatory states to a way forward will lead Iran to start enriching uranium at “uncapped level”.

“I have directed the Atomic Energy Agency to prepare for the next steps, if necessary, to begin our own industrial enrichment without restriction,” Iranian President Rouhani warned.

But for the hardliners in the Iranian political spectrum, the U.S. withdrawal has been a political revival. Many of the hardliner members of the parliament have been seen chanting anti-U.S. slogans and burning the U.S. flag in the Iranian parliament.

This deal was the signature achievement for both the Iranian President and the Foreign Minister who, now, have been asked to resign by the hardliners following the Trump announcement.

Iranian supreme leader Khamenei, the top hardliner in Iranian politics, said in a televised speech: “You heard what worthless things the American president said last night. He lied maybe up to 10 times and he threatened the state and the nation. I tell him on behalf of the Iranian nation: Mr. Trump, you can’t do a damned thing!”

The Iranian Supreme Leader said: “When the nuclear issue started some persons told me why do you insist on keeping the nuclear program? We told them that America’s problem with Iran isn’t about the nuclear program.”

“Now you see that that’s true. We accepted the JCPOA but they continued their enmity with the Islamic Republic.”

Describing the U.S. demand to curb the Iranian influence in the region and stop its missile programs, the Iranian Supreme Leader said: “If we accept these they will come up with something else.”

The Iranian military also echoed the supreme leader. The Fars News Agency quoted Major General Mohamad Ali Jafari as saying: “The withdrawal of America is a good omen. It was clear that the Americans cannot be trusted and that they will never act on their commitments.

“This shows that the uranium enrichment was just an excuse, their main problem is with Iran’s military and missile might and its influence in the region.”